A number of applications exist which require the filling out of a form and providing multiple copies for different uses. In addition, many applications such as bus bills, air bills, express bills, shipping order/packing list forms, and the like, require the filling out of a form at an originating point and further require traveling documents to be attached to a package or to accompany a package to its ultimate destination. Often it is necessary to have multiple copies of the forms which may be readily removed in total at the originating or receiving location or which may be removed in sequence at either of these locations or at intermediate points between the originating point and the final destination of the package which the form accompanies.
Particularly for shipping forms, it is necessary to have a form which may be filled out by the shipper at the time particular goods are to be sent to a remote destination. A substantial amount of information generally must be entered either by hand or typed on the form at the time of shipment since much of this information, such as the addressee, the value of goods, identity of goods, route, etc. is variable and cannot be predetermined. Such forms usually include a receipt to be given to the shipper at the time the goods are turned over to the carrier. In addition, the originating carrier generally requires a copy, and it also is necessary to have a label or traveling documents which bear the necessary information to identify the addressee and the carrier or carriers which are to handle the goods between the shipper and the final addressee. To facilitate the entry of the necessary information on such forms, they generally are created in the form of interconnected multi-copy sheets, including sheets of transfer material such as carbon paper or sensitized paper which may be used to produce multiple copies upon the entry of the data on the top or original copy of the form set. After entry of the data, it is desirable to remove the carbon material to prevent subsequent smudging and obliteration of information on the copies or insert sheets of the form set.
When forms of this type are used as shipper's forms, it has been the practice in the past to fill out the form, remove the receipt copy and the originating carrier's copy from the form set and to place the remaining copy or copies in an envelope which then is attached to the goods to be shipped pursuant to the form. All of this requires a substantial amount of handling at the shipping point, resulting in increased labor costs and the expenditure of a substantial amount of time in preparing a package or the like for shipment.
Multiple layer forms which include built-in sealed mailing envelopes are known. Such forms, however, generally use carbon-coated paper on the inside of the envelope to mark the internal sheets. In addition, the envelopes are opaque and require a carbon backing on at least one outside sheet to enter the necessary information on the outside of the envelope which it is entered onto the original outside receipt of the form set. The user of the set, however, does not know if the papers inside the envelope are imprinted with the required information. In addition, since the carbon paper is not removed from the inside of the envelope, it is possible to obliterate the information on the inside papers during handling of the envelope.
Other envelope/form assemblies are known which permit the removal of the carbon transfer sheets prior to final sealing and mailing of the envelope. Such structures, however, do not permit removal of a portion of the contents prior to its final destination. Also, there again is no assurance that the inside sheets are imprinted properly.
It is desirable to provide a multiple copy shipping form/envelope combination which permits the user to readily ascertain that the desired information has been transferred to the forms inside an envelope upon entry on to an overlying master record sheet and further which permits the removal of the carbon transfer sheets without disturbing the insert sheets prior to shipping. This then would prevent accidental smudging or obliteration of information on the insert sheets. Finally it is desirable to provide a shipping form/envelope combination in which the envelope front or cover panel permits viewing of all of the information on the insert sheets and is moisture resistant to protect the insert sheets during shipping.